The Six Levels of Hell
by caffinate-me
Summary: 4th in the Numbers Series. Kate Beckett was not a superstitious person but when the total of  6.66 flashed on the screen for her coffee and pastry, Kate couldn't help the feeling of dread that swelled in her belly.
1. Chapter 1

The Six Levels of Hell

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

A/N: 4th in the Number's Series. By unanimous decision, I went with the original story idea. :) To all of my returning readers, welcome back! If you are new to these stories, then welcome! You may want to go back and read the Nine Lives, Eight Deaths, and Seven Sins first. You would be able to manage without them but you may get lost on some of the characters. I hope you all enjoy.

Remember, reviews are love. :)

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor had long since faded into the background as just another level of ambient noise as Kate sat in the hard plastic chair staring at the man lying prone on the bed. Slowly, she reached out her hand, letting it hover in the air for a moment before sliding her fingers over his, gently grasping his limp hand, careful to avoid the tubes, tapes and wires. Tears started to flow down her cheeks as her chin began to crumble. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to have so many more years together. No, she could let herself do this, to think like this. She had to be strong. She reached up with her free hand to wipe away the escaping tears only to stop short as she caught sight of the brace wrapped around her palm and wrist, and the bandages folded around her fingertips. With a sigh she let her hand fall back down to her lap. She had forgotten about that.

Kate sighed as she unwound her fingers from the other hand and brought them up to her face, letting her palm cover her eyes for a long moment before taking in a deep, calming breath and wiping the moisture off of her face. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The day had just gone from bad to worse. Kate Beckett was not a superstitious person. She didn't believe the number 13 had special powers or that rabbits' feet made everything better. She scoffed at the concept that walking under a ladder was anything other than a stupid idea and she thought black cats were adorable. So, when the mirror in Castle's bathroom had cracked into a spider web of jagged pieces as she was wiping the steam away from the glass after their shower that morning, effectively slicing three of the fingers open she had dismissed Rick's flippant comment about seven years bad luck. She had already had enough bad luck in the past few years. If she was due for seven more, she could just call in for time served.

However, an hour later, as they stood in the coffee shop where he had dragged her, stating that Casa Castle Coffee was not strong enough for a day that started with a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush and the sight of blood streaming down her arm, when the total of $6.66 flashed on the screen for her coffee and pastry, Kate couldn't help the feeling of dread that swelled in her belly. She had tried to laugh it off as Rick made some stupid joke but ended up biting his head off instead. She could have sworn he looked relieved when Gina had called him into an emergency meeting and he had split off from her on the sidewalk heading towards the publishing house as she continued on to the chaos of the 12th precinct.

It really had been chaos. Vice had broken up a drug/human trafficking/ prostitution ring only hours before and the combination of dealers, pimps, customers and prostitutes had spilled over into the homicide's squad room. Gates, Esposito and Ryan all looked like they were ready to explode as Kate sighed and looked around the room. There was nothing like the smell of the combination of sweat, sex and meth in the morning. Nodding to the captain, Beckett attempted to make her way from the elevator to her desk only to be bowled into by two uniforms taking down a high-as-a-kite meth-head pimp. The coffee went flying, effectively soaking her favorite red sweater and her wrist let out a sickening crunch as it twisted awkwardly under her body. She was pretty sure that it wasn't broken, but had refused repeatedly to go to the emergency room as Esposito helped her off of her floor. The boys had relented after she showed them that she still had full range-of-motion and could wiggle all of her fingers but they still forced her to at least let Lanie take a look at it as she changed into a set of her precinct clothes.

She hadn't even had a chance to get another cup of coffee before they received a call that a body had dropped.

Kate could feel the slight feeling of stress behind her eyes rapidly morphed into a full-blown migraine as she stared down at the body of an eighteen year-old NYU freshman lying in the grass of Central Park. Call her jaded, but she rarely got sick at crime scenes anymore. Sometimes it seemed as though she had seen it all, but the bile rose in her throat as she took in the girl's pale skin and bright red hair. She looked like Alexis. Alexis, who had almost toppled Kate in a hug a couple of nights earlier because she had just opened her acceptance letter from NYU. Alexis who had said she was excited to follow in Kate's footsteps.

It wasn't Alexis though. Kate had told herself. She had just seen the girl hours before as she had been running out the door to school, giving her a wave and her father a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. This little girl, lying dead at her feet had been here for most of the night. Alexis was fine. She was fine and she was at school, flirting with that cute boy in her art class and giggling with her friends. Kate texted her anyway. Then, Kate called Rick for the second time that morning and told him not to come in; to go get Alexis from school and spend the day with her instead. He would know what she meant; he didn't need to see this too. He didn't have to suffer the nightmares with her that night.

Kate had called him on the way to the scene to tell him about her wrist. She wasn't surprised when he didn't answer and the phone went straight to voicemail. His meeting with Gina normally lasted a while, especially when the word_ emergency_ was involved. She had left a voicemail anyway, failing to mask the irritation in her voice as she did. None of this was his fault, but he was the easiest target to unload on at the moment. But when she had called him to not come in, the irritation was gone and exhaustion and sadness had taken its place.

Now, now she was sitting at the side of a hospital bed and she was frustrated. Frustrated with herself for telling him not to come in; frustrated with him for not ignoring her and coming in anyway; frustrated with the this Dr. Miller person who hadn't even come in to talk with her yet. All the nurse had told her was that he was stable for now and the doctor would be in to see her in a minute. That had been half an hour ago.

"Ms. Beckett," A woman's voice announced from the doorway. "I'm Dr. Miller."

Kate's head jerked up from where she had been studying the hospital sheet and she suppressed a groan as she saw the doctor walking into the room with her head stuck in a chart. This day was just getting better and better.

"Hi, Janelle," she responded, giving a small wave of her bandaged fingers to Josh's fiancé.

She watched with slight satisfaction as the woman stopped and stuttered slightly as surprised recognition crossed her face. "Oh, Kate, hi."

The two women stared at each other awkwardly for a couple of moments before Kate cleared her throat and gestured towards the bed, her hand closing again around the fingers lying limply on the bed.

"Is he going to be okay? The nurses didn't tell me anything."

Janelle looked at Kate, the awkward moment of current and ex falling into the background as the doctor and detective took their places.

"He had a pretty severe heart attack. He is stable for now and preliminary tests show that there isn't any lasting damage, but we won't know for sure until he wakes up."

Kate traced her fingers over his slowly, petting him. Letting him know that it would be okay. As hard as she tried to keep the tears at bay, they continued to stream down her cheeks and she tried to bring her bandaged hand up to her face again to wipe away the tears. She huffed slightly as her gaze drifted from the bed to her damaged hand and she felt Janelle's hand squeeze her shoulder warmly and she said something about having her wrist looked at.

"Is someone else coming to be with you?"

Why did the woman have to be so damned nice?

"Yeah, they should be here soon."

Kate continued to stare at the bed for long minutes after Janelle left, before picking up her phone and clumsily pressing the buttons with her bandaged fingers.

"Hey," she stated softly into the speaker as the voicemail beeped on the other end, bringing back the reality of the heart monitor beeping in the background. Her voice crumpled again and she stopped caring how broken she sounded. "It's me again. Rick, please pick up your phone. My father, had a heart attack. I'm at the hospital with him right now. Rick, please pick up your phone. I need you."

Kate stomped her foot and she squeezed her father's fingers tighter as she dropped the phone to her lap. If she hadn't told him not to come in, if he had ignored her warnings and just come in anyway he would be there with her now.


	2. Chapter 2

The Six Levels of Hell

Disclaimer: I still don't own Castle or any of its characters.

A/N: I will make this brief: you guys rock. I am glad you are all still loving this series. If you have any comments or suggestions I would love to hear them. I wasn't quite sure about this chapter since i decided to do something a little bit different so let me know what you think. Oh, and just FYI, all the titles to the stories in the series are posted on my profile page if you want to get a heads up on what is to come. ;)

Remember, reviews are love! :) Now, on with the story.

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

Janelle sighed as she flopped down into a chair at the nurse's station. Susan, one of the RNs, looked up from the chart she was filling out and tapped her pen on the counter as she stared at Janelle. The incessant tapping would make her break eventually.

After a couple of minutes, Janelle still hadn't spoken and Susan was starting to get impatient. "Okay, spill. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Jay. I know you. You have that pissed off lost puppy look on your face. So spill it already."

"Josh's ex is the daughter of one of my patients." Janelle sighed and sunk lower in the chair, as Susan's eyes grew wide.

"Josh's ex? As in the detective that got shot and he saved her life and then she dumped him, ex?"

"That would be the one."

"Oh, girl, I gotta see this. Is she gorgeous? I heard she was," Susan questioned as she grabbed Janelle's hand and dragged her towards Jim Beckett's room.

"You heard? From who?"

"Cindy's a physical therapist over at Mercy."

Susan stopped right in front of the door, which was slightly ajar and peeked through the crack. Letting out a soft whistle she turned back to Janelle. "Dang girl. You're lucky Josh is an idiot because that woman is stunning."

Janelle's hand shot out quickly and slapped her friend's shoulder with a solid thump. "Yeah, but from what Josh said she's also a work-a-holic who was in love with another guy."

"So? I wouldn't kick her out my bed for little things like that."

Janelle thumped Susan's shoulder again and mumbled under her breath. "Cindy's a lucky girl to have someone like you."

"Hey, don't be mean."

Janelle grinned at her friend and they both fell silent as Kate's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Rick's not answering his phone, Dad. I'm starting to get worried. I was pretty mean to him this morning, but in my defense he was being really irritating. It was one of those days when the petulant nine year-old in him just didn't know when to back down…"

Janelle peaked through the doorway while Susan leaned against the wall next to the door jam. The two exchanged a quick glance. They shouldn't be listening to this. They should go back to the nurse's station or check in on crotchety old Mr. Beggs. Also, the break room would be a fantastic idea at this moment. Instead they stood still. Listening.

"I'm not an idiot, Dad. I know you talked to him. Last year, before all of this happened? Before Roy died, before I got shot, I know you went to him and told him to ask me to back down. He knew that it wouldn't work, but he did it anyway. But you know what, Dad? Now, I have walked away, I am safe. I survived a bullet to the heart. It tore me to pieces for a while. I can still feel it; you know, the sting, the pull of the scars? Both of them: the one that Mom left when she died and the one from the bullet. But now it isn't a reminder of almost dying, of something being taken from me. Now it is a reminder that I am still alive. I keep on hearing Mom in the background saying 'I told you so, Katie. I told you that life never throws you more than you can handle.' I am handling it, Dad, badly at times, but I keep going. We both have broken hearts— you and me. But mine is healing, and now it is time for yours to heal, too. So come on Dad, please wake up and show me that you are going to be all right. Because right now I can't handle losing you, too and since Mom was never wrong that means that you are going to wake up."

Janelle leaned against the wall next to Susan. She hadn't meant to listen in, but she had seen the way that her fiancé had been looking at the other woman the night that Kate had shown up on their doorstep. She wasn't proud to admit it, but she had gone out and bought the Nikki Heat books the day after. They were still hidden in her locker so she could read them on her breaks. It had been months but she was slowly making her way through. She wanted to know why all of these men were falling all over themselves over Kate Beckett. What was so special about this woman? As far as she could tell Kate was nothing more than a train wreck.

There was a lull in the one sided conversation. Susan and Janelle shared a look. It was time to check in on Mr. Beckett again. Still Janelle hesitated to walk in and missed her small window of opportunity as she heard Kate start to talk again. Both women stayed in place, listening to the other woman's soft voice. It was a mixture of heartbreak and hope that kept them enthralled.

"Rick asked me to move in with him again, Dad. I really want to say yes this time, but there is something holding me back still. I love him and we have pretty much been in a relationship for four years now. He's my best friend. Sometimes I think he is the only person on this planet that actually understands me. Maybe that's the problem, he understands me. He keeps on trying. I've said no twice now, but he won't stop asking. Part of me keeps hoping that one day I will wake up, all my stuff will be at the loft, the locks will be changed and my apartment will be subleased." Kate let out a soft laugh and sighed. "When Will asked me to move to Boston with him and I said no he shrugged it off and we broke up. He didn't push. When Josh wanted me to go to Haiti for a month and I said no, he went without me. Castle keeps on fighting, keeps on pushing. He knows I'm scared and stubborn. He seems to be okay with that; he doesn't want me to change. He just wants me. It's kind of nice, Dad.

"Let me see, what else. I should be telling you happy stuff. Oh, Alexis got into NYU. She starts in the fall. She's going to want to tell you that herself though. So, if you remember any of this, please don't tell her I told you. There was a dead girl in the park this morning that looked just like her. That's why Rick isn't here right now. I told him not to come into the precinct today; he didn't need to see that. Javi and Lanie are fighting again. I swear those two break-up and make up more than anyone else I know. Javi just needs to pop the question already before he ends up on Lanie's autopsy table. If I have to spend one more night listening to her complain about something stupid he said or did I might send him there myself. Oh, who am I kidding, this is probably payback for all the times I have unloaded on her."

Janelle's eyes were focused on the wall opposite her as she listened to Kate talk. She was pulled out of her trance when she heard shuffling, quiet cursing and beeping as Kate pulled out her cell phone and start dialing. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and glanced over at Susan who mirrored her own posture. There was something cathartic about listening to the confessions of the other woman.

Janelle turned her head as music suddenly blared down the hall and her eyes focused a man and teenage girl hurrying to the nurse's station. The man was fumbling with his phone while the girl, looking the more calm and collected of the two, spoke to someone behind the desk. Janelle craned her head a little bit more and saw one of the RNs pointing directly at her. _Oh, shit_. Janelle straightened up as the two turned towards her. The music stopped and Kate groaned in frustration.

The man breezed past her and Susan, who was attempting to look innocent, without a second glance as he nearly busted down the door to Jim Beckett's room. The girl hurried after him, sparing a small smile at the women before passing through the doorway as well. Janelle was left slightly dazed at the sudden whirlwind and were they covered in paint?

Janelle watched as Susan slunk back to the desk and busied herself, with the chart that had been forgotten in her hand, for a few moments before she turned towards the room. Pushing the door open she entered the room in time to see Kate wipe a glob of yellow goo off of the side of her face.

"… And why are you covered in paint?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Six Levels of Hell

A/N: It wouldn't be any fun if life was easy for these two. As always, you guys are awesome and reviews are love so let me know what you think! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Richard Castle was not a patient man. He didn't like sitting idly by and he didn't like to be yanked around, unless it was by a certain detective, of course. So, needless to say, he was ready to get the hell out of dodge after sitting around listening to Gina, Paula and a team of "specialists" sit around and argue over what was, quote, "best for him and his characters" for three hours. Anything was better than that, even working with the crabby detective he had woken up with that morning.

He flinched eternally. She had woken up in a bad mood, then she had sliced her fingers open on the mirror and her bad mood had worsened. He wasn't proud to admit it, but he was relieved when Gina had called him earlier. Granted, now that relief had evaporated. His mind drifted to the conversation they had had the night before lying in bed, face to face with both of their heads on his oversized pillow. He had asked her to move in with him again. She hadn't answered. She had just lain there silent, her eyes drifting up to focus on a spot on the wall behind his head. He had sighed and turned over when she still refused to answer. He pretended to sleep for hours as he listened to her breathe and sniffle behind him. Part of him had wanted to turn back over and gather her in his arms, tell her that it was okay and there was no pressure. There was pressure, though. He wanted that wall down. He wanted her to move in with him, to be with him. So, instead, he let his frustration overpower him and he had listened to her cry into his back.

He had excused himself earlier when his phone had beeped to let him know he had a message. He had smiled when he saw that it was from her, his frustration from the night before fading, but the smile melted into a frown as he listened to her tone and her words. She had been at the precinct all of an hour and already had her second injury of the day. Part of him wanted to call her back and tell her to just go home and curl up in bed. She would be safe there— pillows could do no harm. They weren't malicious; they were like little marshmallowy clouds. In fact maybe he could bribe her with a bag of marshmallows— the giant ones shaped like bunny rabbits that were vanilla flavored. She loved those. She had actually giggled over the Halloween pumpkin ones, the bunnies were sure to be a hit. He could definitely bribe her into bed with marshmallow rabbits. He briefly wondered if that would work to get him to move in with him, too. Maybe he could commission a giant Stay-Puffed marshmallow man.

He felt his newly found perkiness at his fantastic idea fade as he heard her second message telling him not to come in today. She didn't go into detail but just said to go get Alexis and spend time with her. His brown furrowed as he frowned into the phone. She sounded sad, Beckett never sounded like this. He held his phone away from his ear for a second; still able to hear her mumbled words, but able to glance at the time stamp simultaneously. They were only marked twenty minutes apart. He knew he hadn't done anything to screw up that badly in that timeframe, well, other than not pick up the first time she had called. It couldn't be that, could it? She knew he was in a meeting, but she had also been in a mood all morning. Castle sighed. It could be a bad case. She had told him to spend time with Alexis. The only time he had begged out of a case was when the victim looked too much like his daughter.

_Oh God_. Castle ended the call to his voicemail and sent a quick text to Alexis. His leg jittered and he ran a hand through his hair as he waited her reply.

"Rick! Get back in here."

Castle groaned, put his phone on vibrate and pushed himself off the wall to trudge back down the hall into Hell; the hell of one ex-wife/ex-girlfriend, one ex-one-night-stand and a room full of "experts". The grouchy detective/girlfriend and the doppelganger victim would definitely be a step up. Unfortunately, the assistant volunteer homicide detective job did not come with a 'Get Out of Real Job Meetings Free' card.

Thankfully, the meeting only lasted thirty more minutes and he was able to pass the time doodling on the etch-a-sketch on his phone while the others decided what was best for him. He really didn't need to be paying attention anyway since he wouldn't be taking any of "expert ideas" into consideration. When Alexis had texted him back, asking what the big deal was that both he and Kate were asking after her well-being he had told her to pack up her bags and meet him at the office. She was going to play hooky today and he had the perfect activity planned.

One hour later, with a last glance at his cell phone, Rick placed it in the locker with his suit and shoes and slammed the door shut. He placed the goggles on over his eyes and adjusted his green jumpsuit one last time. He picked up his gun, slinging it over his shoulder. He was pumped. He was ready to do battle. He was hesitating. His gaze drifted back to his locker one last time, debating whether to call her back or not. It had been more than two hours since she had left those messages and her head was probably deep in the case by now, he argued. He would talk to her when she got home that night. No, not home. He sighed. When she got to his house that night. Instead he leaned over to retie his shoe and pushed open the locker room door to face off in a battle of paintball with his daughter.

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><p>He was laughing as he jogged back to his locker attempting to clean the glob of paint out of his ear. It had been a long time since he and Alexis had done something like this. She was getting older and sometimes it seemed like she was too old for silly father-daughter days. He wiped his hand clean on a towel before opening his locker. He pulled out his phone as he pulled off his goggles and noted that he had five missed calls. He sighed, Gina must be in a tizzy about something; it had only been an hour since he had gone out to battle. Looking at the missed call list he felt the panic rising. Kate had called five times within twenty minutes. She never did stuff like that. Something was wrong.<p>

He covered his eyes as he pushed open the door to the women's locker room and called for his daughter. He didn't have time to wait for her.

"Alexis! Hurry up, we have to go now."

He heard women yelling at him, but he didn't care.

"Dad? What are you doing? What's wrong?" Alexis questioned as she pulled her hair back in a ponytail and let out a yelp as her father grabbed her arm and practically dragged her out of the doorway.

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><p>"Kate!"<p>

She was hunched over in the chair, her phone clutched in her braced hand when he burst through the doorway. She looked up at him and the relief was evident in her eyes even as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. Before he knew what was happening she was clinging to his neck and he could feel the guilt swelling through him as her whispered words made it to his ear.

"Part of me thought you weren't going to come."

His eyes closed as he sighed into her hair. "I'm so sorry, we would have been here sooner, but I didn't have my phone on me."

She pulled back to look at him, studying him as if making sure he was really with her, her hand pressed against the side of his face. Rick could barely meet her eyes as she gazed up at him. He was getting ready to rattle off a speech of apology, when, in true Beckett form her expression of worry and relief turned to curiosity. She turned to Alexis, back towards him and looked down to the glob of yellow paint she had just swiped from her cheek.

"Where were you two and why are you covered in paint?"


	4. Chapter 4

The Six Levels of Hell

A/N: Here is the end of The Six Levels of Hell. Writing these are a lot of fun and I really do love hearing from all of you! :). I hope that you all are still enjoying this series and that you are looking forward to Five Years in the Life which is coming up next. (preview at the bottom!).

Enjoy! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

Castle explained that he and Alexis had gone to play paintball as Janelle checked Jim's vitals and made a few notes on his chart. Kate allowed her self to sink into his arms as his voice rumbled in his chest. She didn't care if she seemed clingy. She needed him at the moment. Who was she kidding? She needed him in general now. She could still be independent and strong and need someone, right?

"So, who won?"

"Dad did," Alexis responded with a huff.

"That's only because I wasn't with you." Kate winked at the girl. "Next time we'll have him begging for his momma."

Kate untangled herself from Rick's arms and Castle watched, with surprise, as she licked her thumb and worked a streak of green paint from Alexis's brow.

"What?" She asked as she dropped her hand and saw Castle trying not to laugh.

"That was such a mom move."

Kate swiveled her head from Alexis to Castle and back to Alexis again who looked like she was trying not to smile as the pink tinged Kate's cheeks.

"Sorry."

"No, it's all right," Alexis responded as she took a step towards the other woman and pulled Kate into a hug. "Sometimes it's nice to have the mom side, too."

Kate clung to the girl for an extra moment, absorbing some of the youthful strength.

"Is he going to be okay?" Alexis questioned as she pulled away and looked at Jim.

All three heads turned towards Janelle who was waiting quietly by the bedside. "Everything still looks stable, now it is just a waiting game until he wakes up."

The three nodded in acceptance of the information and Kate sunk back down into her chair as Castle leaned over and whispered something to his daughter.

With a small nod the young woman turned to Janelle. "Where is the nearest coffee machine?"

The doctor motioned towards door, "Come on, I'll show you."

"Thank you," Alexis stated as they reached the vending machines.

Janelle looked up startled. There was too much meaning behind the words for her to just be talking about the coffee. "For what?"

"For making sure Mr. Beckett will be okay. If anything happened to him, especially now…" Alexis trailed off and sucked in a deep breath.

Janelle watched as Alexis's eyes clouded over and the teenager struggled not to cry. "It has been a hard year, for all of us, and if one more thing happened, I'm not sure if any of us would survive." Alexis let out a humorless laugh. "It might seem a little melodramatic, but it's the truth. My dad and Kate might play it off like they are all right but they're not. He tries to be brave for her and she tries to be brave for him. They both try to be brave for me but I see it. It's like we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the last thing to go wrong. Together, though, I think they can get through anything. We can get through anything."

Janelle watched the girl for a moment. There were streaks of blue and green paint still in her orange hair, a small sign of childlike play that contradicted the maturity shown on her face. Pride shown in her eyes for the two adults sitting, brave faced, in the other room.

"You're welcome," Janelle responded and she couldn't help but think that she had just been given a glimpse at something extraordinary.

Alexis smiled at her. "I should go. Coffee is very important to both of them."

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><p>Rick and Kate watched as Janelle led Alexis out of the room. The red head turned back to give them a small wave and smile before disappearing from sight.<p>

"How are you doing?" Rick asked after a moment, as he pulled up a chair and wrapped an arm around Kate as she leaned into his shoulder.

Kate let out an incredulous laugh. "My dad just had a heart attack, Rick. How do you think I'm doing?" She paused and pinched her brow as she felt Castle's arm stiffen around her. "I'm sorry. That was mean and uncalled for."

He sighed next to her and tightened his arm into a comforting hug. "Its okay, I'm pretty sure there is a free "Father is in the Hospital" bitch pass."

It was Kate's turn to sigh as she looked between him and her father. "Maybe, but what's my excuse for the last couple of months?"

Rick looked down at his lap and squeezed his arm around her again as her head tumbled down to rest on him and she breathed in the smell of his chest, his neck. He heard what she couldn't say: the unspoken apology for not being able to say yes, for pushing him away when he had been trying to pull her closer, to break down that damn wall.

"You've had a tough year. It's going to get better. Don't worry, Kate, I told you always and I mean it. It takes more than a little Beckett bitchiness to get rid of me. In fact, if that was all it took we would have never made it past that interrogation room."

"Oh, please. I had you hook, line and sinker in that interrogation room. You saw the one woman who seemingly wasn't immediately drawn to your charm and you just had to chase her until she was."

Rick's ears perked up. "Two things. First, a fishing metaphor? Really? Second, _seemingly_? I knew it! I knew you liked me."

"Rick."

"No, seriously, four years you made me wait and you liked me from the beginning. I knew all of that ear pulling and nose twisting was just for show. Admit it Beckett, admit that you had a crush on me from the get go."

Kate sighed as a smile threatened to pull at her lips. "Never."

"So, it is true. Tell me, was it my impish grin? Charisma? My ruggedly handsome good looks?" His voice dropped as she looked away and rolled her eyes. "It was the police horse wasn't it? You did always have a thing for the bad boys."

"Castle." She warned.

"I love you."

Her breath caught in her throat, like it still did every time she heard him say those words. He did love her. He loved her the same way that she loved him. He loved her so much it was painful and it was beautiful.

She felt the wall crumble a little it more, bricks tumbling to the ground, dust settling in their wake. "I love you, too."

"You're never going to leave are you?" She continued as she gazed up at him. It wasn't a question as much as it was a realization.

"Never, Katherine Beckett. Fire breathing dragons in full body armor couldn't drag me away from you."

Kate smiled. Wild horses were still too ordinary for him.

They both snapped out of their little world as the heart monitor jumped and Jim let out a moan. Kate jumped out of her chair and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she leaned over the bed and pressed at the call button.

"Dad? Can you hear me?"

"Katie?"

Kate let out a small laugh of relief and smiled as Jim opened his eyes and she felt Rick's arm wrap around her waist. "Hi, Daddy."

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><p>Kate looked up at Rick as they made their way out of the sliding doors of the hospital a couple of hours later. Her shoulders started to sag as weight of the day began to finally fall. It felt like she had been walking through Hell for the last few hours, but as she looked up at him she could see a glimmer of hope, something worth the trek. Suddenly it wasn't hard anymore.<p>

"Come on," She said, holding out her hand as steered them towards her car. "We have a couple of stops to make."

Her father was going to be fine. He would have to go on a low sodium- and as both Jim and Rick had quipped, a low taste- diet and Kate had already set him up with an appointment with a personal trainer, but he was going to be fine. He had finally kicked them out despite all three protesting. Kate had promised she would be back in the morning to pick him up. Right now, though, there was something else she had to do.

"Where are we going?" Castle asked as he piled into the passenger seat of the sedan.

"We have to stop by the shipping store before we head over to the apartment," Kate replied distractedly as she checked her mirrors and prepared to pull out into traffic.

"Shipping store?"

"Yeah, we need boxes."

"Boxes?" Castle sighed and rubbed his forehead. Getting answers out of her right now was like pulling teeth. He wanted direct Beckett, not evasive Beckett.

"Yes, boxes. How do you expect to pack up my apartment if we don't have boxes?"

Rick could practically hear the exasperated eye roll in her voice but he didn't care as the pieces fell into place. A jaw-cracking smile stretched across his face as Kate bit her lip and changed lanes and Alexis giggled from the back seat.

Finally, he thought as he grabbed her hand and left a big wet kiss in the middle of her palm. Finally, she said yes.

* * *

><p>Fin.<p>

* * *

><p>Preview: Five Years in the Life<p>

Five years. Five Christmases. One life. One story.

Five year-old Katie jumped on her parents' bed, pillowcase cape flying out behind her as she demanded that they wake up. It was five AM and she was already dressed for Christmas morning in her own superhero costume.

Fifteen year-old Katherine stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. Was it really too much to ask for Santa to bring her boobs for Christmas?

Twenty year-old Kate tipped the bottle back into her mouth, letting the few remaining drops of vodka burn their way down her throat. Her mother was dead. Her father was God knows where and not answering his cell phone. Merry Christmas to her.

Twenty-six year-old newly promoted Detective Beckett sighed into the stack of papers on her desk. Lights twinkled outside the window and she tapped her pen gently against the small Christmas Tree on her desk. All of her colleagues were at home with their families and she was here doing paperwork- paperwork that could have waited for tomorrow.

Thirty-three year-old Kate Beckett's green eyes blinked open and she smiled up at the blue eyes that stared down at her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down for a kiss. Snow was falling outside the window and she could smell french toast being cooked in the kitchen. Merry Christmas to her. Finally.


End file.
